Anti's Petition To Keep Florida Bears Out Of Sportsmen's Sights
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Anti's Petition To Keep Florida Bears Out Of Sportsmen's Sights





In an effort to block any future bear hunting seasons in Florida, anti-hunters have petitioned the state to revise its classifications for threatened species.

On May 31, eighteen anti-hunting groups filed a legal petition demanding that the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) amend the categories by which it lists imperiled species. The antis’ tactic is to make the down-listing of the black bear and other species more difficult at the state level, and keep bears off-limits to hunting.

Of the groups filing the petition against the state, three are also involved in a lawsuit against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to impede bear hunting. The Humane Society of the United States, Defenders of Wildlife and Sierra Club contend that bears in Florida are a separate sub-species of the North American black bear, and as such deserve protection under the Endangered Species Act.

The U.S. Sportsmen’s Legal Defense Fund, a program of the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation (USSAF) and the only full-time fund devoted to defending and advancing sportsmen’s rights in courts, is fighting to protect sportsmen’s interests in the federal lawsuit. The SLDF is joined by the Central Florida Bear Hunters Assn., Safari Club International and Mark Roden of St. Augustine.

“Anti-hunters are determined to obstruct the delisting of black bears, whether at the state or federal level,” said Rob Sexton, USSAF vice president for government affairs. “State wildlife experts report a boom in the bear population. Management methods could one day include a bear hunting season, but not if the anti’s gum up the works.”

Animal rights fanatics are not interested in effective wildlife conservation practices that revitalize populations and allow for their removal from an endangered list. They want absolute preservation for all animals on the list, regardless of how successful a state has been at reestablishing the population, such as black bears.

The FWC has 30 days to respond to the antis’ petition. If it rejects the request, the anti’s have threatened legal action. The USSAF will continue to monitor the issue and ensure that hunters’ interests are directly represented.
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